CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
None.
The present invention relates to a system and method for providing television antenna recommendations. In particular, the invention relates to a system and method for generating a contour map of a television market that provides television antenna recommendations.
Existing geographical maps that show television signal characteristics are merely xe2x80x9ccoveragexe2x80x9d maps, which typically show television signal strengths for only a single channel. Most such maps typically take into account the effect of the terrain on television signal propagation, but do not include the effects caused by buildings or similar structures. Such existing maps also do not provide recommendations regarding which types of antennas are likely to work best at various points on the maps.
Antenna recommendations are particularly important to purchasers of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) systems because such systems often require the customer to use an antenna to receive local programming. Studies have indicated that a large percentage of potential purchasers have not purchased satellite-based television systems because no satisfactory solutions were presented to them regarding how to receive local channels.
It would be desirable to provide a user-friendly map that assists purchasers in identifying the correct antenna for their location and situation. It would also be desirable to take multiple channels into account in generating each map to ensure adequate reception of all channels with the recommended antennas. Taking into account the effects of buildings and other large structures on television signal propagation would be desirable to increase the accuracy of signal strength calculations and antenna recommendations. Further, the identification of an area special region, which is an area where a single directional antenna can not be used without a means of rotation, would be a useful feature of an antenna recommendation map.
A map for providing television antenna recommendations for a selected geographic area is disclosed. The map comprises multiple contours, a legend and a channel list. Each contour corresponds to a type of antenna. The legend associates each contour with a type of antenna. The channel list includes television channels that were used in generating the map contours.
In a preferred embodiment, one of the map contours corresponds to an area special region, indicating an area where a single directional antenna can not be used without a means of rotation. Also in a preferred embodiment, the invention includes an antenna selector guide attached to or otherwise in close association with the map. The antenna selector guide includes conditional antenna recommendations, wherein the conditions are based at least in part on details not included in the map.
A preferred method for generating the maps of the present invention is also disclosed. The method uses terrain data representing the topography of a geographic area. A set of television channels being broadcast in the geographic area is identified. A set of signal characteristics is calculated based on the identified set of television channels and the terrain data. The preferred method generates a map of the geographic area, wherein the map includes multiple contours based on the calculated set of signal characteristics. A map legend that associates each contour with a recommended antenna type is provided.
In an alternative preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention supplements the terrain data with structure data representing man-made structures such as buildings, grain elevators and tanks, so that the structures are essentially made part of the terrain. Also in a preferred embodiment, the calculated signal characteristics include the weakest signal strength of all listed channels at various points in the geographic area, and include multi-path characteristics and signal blockage characteristics.
The user-friendly maps generated in accordance with the techniques of the present invention assist purchasers in identifying the correct antenna for their location and situation. The invention takes multiple channels into account in generating each map to ensure adequate reception of all channels with the recommended antennas. The invention takes into account the effects of buildings and other large structures on television signal propagation, which increases the accuracy of signal strength calculations and antenna recommendations. Further, the maps of the present invention identify area special regions, which are areas where a single directional antenna can not be used without a rotation means.